Training & Bike update

I have put an ebay bid on another bike (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220872207869&category=33503&_trksid=p5197.c0.m619) but am thinking it wont be mine (oh no, it wont).  At this point it is probably still January before a bike will hove in to view.
Until then I am, as previously advised, concentrating on other parts of the essential training program.  Just now I appear to be bulking up on what I am assuming are essential winter fat stores (or I am 14 months pregnant and due to drop a baby elephant any time soon.)
I also recently re-read, well to be honest re-skimmed, Lance Armstrongs auto-B.  I thought I must have missed the chapter on his drug regime, but it turns out he is saving that for a future edition, so I was left with the bit about whether I like apples or not.  I thought hard about it, I went and ate an apple (apple crumble to be honest, with creamy custard) to confirm my thoughts and can confidently let you know that I DO LIKE APPLES.
With that bombshell, I shall away and watch the end of Scotland's interest in Euro 2012.

Stuart

P.S. Tim,  have you been cycling to work?  We are interested in hearing what canines have chased you along the tow-path recently.

Not starting to Train

Thought I should bring everyone up to date with my training progress.

I have a bid on a bike on ebay - if I get it I might start cycling soon.

That's it.

Well, I suppose I could say that I am concentrating on the mental bit of the journey (most people reckon me to be about 95-100% mental so I am on schedule).  Seriously though this is the tough bit, you know, looking at really expensive bike frames,  wondering if a top gear of 53-11 is practical, wondering if a cycling bib will suit my fine physique, trying to work out if there is anyway to fit a helmet cam into the budget, looking idly at pre-packed energy bars, remembering that the route has lots of uphill.

It is only 218 days to Embo....

Stuart

I didn't get the ebay bike - still need to be working on the mental side of things

Starting to Train

When approaching such a mammoth task as cycling 179 miles, training is very important.  But training is challenging at the moment since I am riding a rickety mountain bike (I have been assured that it works perfectly well but it doesn't sound happy when I push the left pedal down.).  As previously mentioned, I'll get a road bike in January and really get going, but if I don't cycle at all until then the chances of me doing this wild challenge diminish by the day.

So, to the point! I was out riding my rickety bike home from work, which should be an 11 and a half mile journey.  Yesterday I was cycling into a strong headwind on the way home. And about 60% of my journey is uphill. And I tried a new route. And got lost. And I vowed never to cycle again. A vow I'm sure I'll make a fair few times between now and May the 5th.  So I think I cycled about 12 miles because I got a little lost but (and now the good bit) my theory is that surely cycling 12 miles on a mountain bike, into the wind and going uphill is like cycling about 30 miles on a road bike on flat terrain with no wind. Based on this calculation I would only need to cycle 71.6 miles uphill with the wind against me on a mountain bike to match the Embo challenge.

Now that I read that back, I think I might rather 179 miles on a road bike.  Unfortunately, I realise that large parts of the 179 miles will be uphill and there could well be a headwind.

Now that I read this back again I would like to vow never to cycle again.

Tim

First post

As we won't have bikes until January, there won't much in the way of blogs until then.  In January we'll update how our training is going and how much pain we are in.  Until then, feel free to support our efforts for charity by buying us our bikes (see link below). Cheers.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=57227 

On a more serious note, we are doing the cycle for charity, more details of which will be on the way.